The area south of the French-Spanish border is lonely and deserted, around twelve kilometers as the crow flies from the Mediterranean. Barely used tracks cross the mountains, almost all of which are open to the public. Perfect conditions for successful off-road excursions.
One of them leads from the border town of La Jonquera in an easterly direction to Espolla. In La Jonquera, turn off onto road no. 601 to Cantallops, where the gravel begins. The easy track winds its way uphill through the usual Mediterranean vegetation of pines and cork oaks, treating you to wide views. At the 391-meter-high Col de Medàs, the track enters the Albera Nature Park. Established in 1986, it primarily serves to protect the Greek tortoise, which has otherwise been eradicated throughout Spain.
You can soon see the Castell de Requesens in the distance. It stands high and visible from afar on a wooded hill. A steep detour leads up to the Castell after a few kilometers. This castle with its triple walls has probably been there since the 9th century, was modernized in the 19th century and used for military purposes during the Spanish Civil War (1936 - 1939).
The track then curves around a military training area, remains easy to drive and then leaves the nature reserve. A small asphalt road then winds down to Espolla.
Conditions, closures and tips — from members who drove here recently.
We also rode from Espallo today; from this direction, you can definitely ride the entire route. A really great route—it’s a lot of fun! However, due to the heavy rain over the last few days, it’s definitely not a “blue” route. There are some serious washouts and exposed rocks in places. The route is relatively free of branches and brush, so the car will come out unscathed.
We set out from Espolla and didn’t see any signs indicating a military zone. We ended up at the back of the sign marking the end of the restricted area. We then drove a bit further out of the military zone. However, those areas have since been privatized and fenced off, so we had to turn around, drive back into the military zone, and then find a way out as quickly as possible. The scenery is great, but it doesn’t look like this route will be drivable for us in the long run.
We also drove from the opposite direction from Espolla and didn’t see any military personnel. There wasn’t a sign at the entrance to the trail either. Without even realizing it, we even spent the night near the stream by the dilapidated buildings. It was a great trail for our high-clearance Van. Thumbs up. Difficulty as described.
As others in the community have already mentioned, it seems that from La Jonquera, you can only complete the entire route if you’re coming from the other direction. We also came across a concrete sign that read “Military – No Trespassing” at the second gate.
The roadblock halfway along the route looks like it's there to stay. The Wildtor is still open, but the “Zona Militar – no pasar” sign has been cemented into place relatively recently. I can’t attach a photo from my phone. You can still drive to the castle. But if I understand correctly, it’s only open for tours on Saturdays and Sundays.
The sign seems to apply only in one direction. I came from the Mediterranean on a Monday and didn’t see a sign in my direction. It wasn’t until I reached a gate to the nature reserve that I saw the sign behind me. I enjoyed about 15 km of dirt road without seeing any military personnel. If I had been heading toward the Mediterranean, I probably would have turned around at the sign. I would have missed the most beautiful part of the route.
A nice track that’s easy to drive; 1–2 spots require a bit of ground clearance. Unfortunately, we had to turn back halfway because there was a military exercise and we weren’t allowed to pass. But it’s probably just temporary.
German
France
Spain
